Big Payday Looms For ESPN's Stephen A Smith

Stephen A Smith

Stephen A. Smith is in line to become the highest-paid on-air person at ESPN by potentially boosting his salary to $10 million per year, according to The NY Post citing people with knowledge of the upcoming negotiations.

The Post spoke with multiple executives and agents to figure out the number that Smith could garner, and the consensus was in the $8 million-to-$10 million range. By comparison, Mike Greenberg is paid $6.5 million to host “Get Up!,” which is the network’s highest publicly known salary. PTI’s Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser are believed to be in Greenberg’s neighborhood.

SportsCenter’s Scott Van Pelt, with his rising late-night ratings, is also considered in the nearly indispensable category in Bristol.

Since Smith still has two years remaining on his current contract — which is paying him, according to sources, in the $5 million per range — the two sides have not yet begun serious talks. But ESPN considers Smith among its most valuable on-air performers, and many think he is on top of the mountain.

Smith, 51, is a polarizing figure, as those in the opinion business tend to be. He is on “First Take,” hosts his own national radio show and appears on countless programs.